Plan DPM storage

When you set up servers, clients, and workloads for protection you specify short and long-term storage options for the backed up data.

Storage option

Details

Characteristics

Tape

Disk-to-disk-to-tape backup (D2D2T)—Back up server, client, or workload disk data to disk for short-term storage and then to tape for long-term storage

Disk-to-tape (D2T)—You can backup data for short-term storage to tape for some workloads

Tape provides a long-term offsite storage option for all data protected by DPM.

Tape can be used as a short-term storage option for some workloads—file data (volumes, shares, folders), system state, SQL Server, Hyper-V, and Exchange databases not configured on a DAG.

DPM doesn’t support incremental backup to tape for workload data (Exchange, SQL Server, SharePoint, Hyper-V). Only file data (volumes, shares, folders) can be backed up incrementally. If you choose to do short-term backup for these workloads to tape, only full backups will be run.

Backup to tape has a number of characteristics:

It’s useful for data which must be kept in order to fulfil statutory obligations.

Data recovery might be slow. It’s useful for data with a high recovery point objective (RPO). Data with a high RPO doesn’t need to be accessed and recovered within a short critical period in case of data failure.

D2D2T + Azure—Back up data Azure. Note that you can retain DPM data in Azure for up to 3360 days.

You can only select to back up data to Azure when you select short-term to disk.

Azure provides an offsite storage solution

Azure can be used as storage for Hyper-V, SQL Server, and file server data.

Azure can only be used to backup data from servers running Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1. DPM must be running on System Center 2012 SP1 or System Center 2012 R2.